Optoma HD20 budget full HD projector

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While it may lack the sumptuous subtlety of a high-end model, it delivers a thoroughly convincing image regardless of what you throw at it. Our calibration tests revealed an extremely accurate colour response even before calibration adjustments were applied. You can just plug it in and start enjoying a great picture right away. The range of displayable colours proved to be a little wider than those of a typical PC monitor, but not so wide as to require manual adjustment to keep them in check.

Keeping it simple delivers on image quality

With the possible exception of the aforementioned rainbow effect, it’s top marks to Optoma for exceeding our image quality expectations in every regard. Optoma also provides a full five-year warranty on your projector’s colour reproduction. The HD20’s on-screen menu system is simple, readable and un-cluttered. It’s not crammed full of jargon or engineer-level calibration options, but it does offer you all the features you need to ensure you get the best output from various sources, including aspect ratio and overscan control.

You also get a good selection of image presets: We favoured Reference mode for its accurate colour reproduction, but you can sacrifice a little subtlety in favour of brightness by selecting the Bright mode if you’re unable to dim the room sufficiently. This is separate from the Standard and Bright lamp modes, which can be selected via a dedicated button on the remote control along with direct access to the various video inputs.

Verdict

As a budget projector, the HD20 is not without compromises. Setup options are a little limited: There’s no optical lens shift or keystone correction and certainly no motorised zoom or focus. Most of these features can be had on competing projectors – if you’re willing to step down to 720p resolution. Taking this and the lack of advanced video processing into account, it’s easy to see what’s missing compared to a high-end model, but what this projector does do, it does so well that Optoma is onto a sure-fire winner with the HD20. ®